


Establishing Trust, April 6, 1971

by MissAtomicBomb77



Series: For the Greater Good, Let's Do the News [16]
Category: The Newsroom (US TV)
Genre: F/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-15
Updated: 2013-12-15
Packaged: 2018-01-04 17:13:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1083564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissAtomicBomb77/pseuds/MissAtomicBomb77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“That is not an appropriate question.” Charlie barks at him. “Yes. She happens to be dating a Marine and he’ll beat the shit out of you if you even think about her the wrong way.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Establishing Trust, April 6, 1971

April 6, 1971  
11:13 am  
United Press International Offices  
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Charlie and Lee walked into the UPI office and he saw right away that there was a guest in Ed’s office. Charlie’s eyes narrowed because he had no idea who the guy was. “Stay back a second,” he told Lee, but she was rummaging through her purse and hadn’t been listening to Charlie. She stopped in the outside office, still digging for her compact mirror.

The door was open, so Charlie hazarded a guess that the conversation wasn’t confidential. “Hey,” he popped in. “We’re here.” He was about to step back out when Ed stopped him.

“Nah, come on in. This concerns you. I’m sorry kid, what’s you name again?”

“Yeoman Sheppard Pressman, United States Navy.” He offers his hand to Charlie as he came into the office. Charlie notices right away that he’s not in uniform as they shake.

“Charlie Skinner. I’m sorry, how does this concern me?” Charlie asks.

“The YN here was just about to advise me of something concerning you.”

Lee walks into the office, lost in her own reflection in her compact mirror. “I’m sorry,” she says to Charlie. “I wasn’t listening. What did you say?”

Charlie turns to her wide eyed. She’s done with the mirror and she sees the look on his face.

The Yeoman takes a moment to look at her from head to toe, but then returns his gaze to Ed.

Charlie silently mouths to her American Military.

She looks at him blankly for a second before she realizes what he said.

“I’m sorry,” Charlie says to the Yeoman. “This is our typist. Could you get started on that project we were discussing and we’ll talk to Ed in a few minutes.”

Her mouth is agape. Typist, she fumes. She’s not happy but she realizes that she did walk in on something and if the Yeoman is looking for her, they were all going to be in trouble.

“Miss.” The Yeoman nods briefly in acknowledgement.

“I’m sorry,” She stutters. “I’ll be right outside.”

Charlie has to actively force himself not to guide her out by the small of her back as she leaves. She closes the door behind her without being asked.

“I’m sorry.” Ed tells the Yeoman. “Proceed.”

“I’m here in an unofficial capacity to advise you Mr. Skinner, as well as all of the other members of the press that have declared their intentions to join the convoy to Kompong Som not to do so.”

“Why would I do that?” Charlie asks, crossing his arms in front of him.

“The Naval Office of Intelligence has learned that Pich Nil Pass has been flooded with Viet Cong from the north and local forces from the south. You would be driving into an active battle.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a war going on.” Charlie deadpanned.

“Americans are a hot commodity right now and it would be helpful if Americans such as you not put yourself at risk unnecessarily. I’ve talked to the bosses and most of the people said to be going on this excursion.”

“Have any of them taken your request or you seriously?” Charlie fired back.

Yeoman Pressman looked at Charlie with distain. “APF is keeping their guy back. A Mr. Lefavor.”

“Yeah, well Frank’s a pussy.” Ed shot back from his desk. “Anyone else?”

The Yeoman looked to Ed and back to Charlie. “No.”

“And there it is.” Ed said. “We’re going to have to side with the masses on this one.”

“The Viet Cong are going to torture and kill you Mr. Skinner if you get caught. Do you understand that?”

“I think you’re seriously overestimating the threat.”

“I think you’re seriously underestimating the threat.” The Yeoman responded. “I’ve seen too many people get killed recently and the madness has to stop. You’ve lost how many correspondents since March of last year?”

“Nine.” Ed responds sadly. “We’ve lost nine in Cambodia.”

“Are you seriously interested in becoming number ten?” The Yeoman asks.

Charlie shakes his head. “It’s not going to come to that.” Before he is able to censor himself, Charlie speaks again. “I’m going to go, she’s going to go. We’re going to find out the truth about the prison camps.” He thumbed out at Lee.

“You can’t take her. I can respect if you don’t care about your own life Mr. Skinner, but you should not even consider taking a woman out there. She’d undergo a fate worse than death if she was captured.”

Charlie grimaced. He forgot for a moment that Yeoman Pressman was not a friend. “I really don’t think how we handle our operations here are any of your concern.”

A silence hangs in the room.

“Is she dating anyone?” The young Yeoman’s eyes wander out to the desk where Lee is sitting, as she is feverishly typing something out on the typewriter.

“That is not an appropriate question.” Charlie barks at him. “Yes. She happens to be dating a Marine and he’ll beat the shit out of you if you even think about her the wrong way.”

The Yeoman is wistful for a moment before looking back at Charlie and Ed. “Well anyway, I highly recommend once again not to go on this excursion and if you do decide to go to not take your typist with you.” He moves past Charlie and exits the office, briefly stopping at the desk, wishing her a good day as he then left the UPI suite of offices.

Lee watched him leave and once she was sure he was gone, she pulled the paper she had been typing on out of the typewriter and grabbed off the desk another typed sheet and darted back into Ed’s office. “The typist?” She fumed, slamming the office door behind her and thrusting the typed pages into Charlie’s stomach.

“I’m sorry!” Charlie said at once. “He was military and prior to that moment neither one of us had met him before. We have no idea why he was here or if he knew who you were, okay?”

Her arms are crossed and she’s fuming, but she knows that he’s right. She lets out a heavy sigh. “You’re right. Who was he and why was he here?”

“He was from the Office of Naval Intelligence and because he came to us, my guess is that he’s the lowest of the low guys on the totem pole. He came to tell me to warn you two not to go on that press convoy tomorrow to Kompong Som.” Ed answers.

Charlie shifts the crumbled papers to his left hand so that he can spread his arms wide as he speaks. “What does the office of Naval Intelligence even know about the traveling conditions inside the country anyway? I think the military is trying to spook us into not looking into the prison camps.”

“Obviously,” Ed says. “Lee. If you seriously still want to go with Charlie on this thing, don’t go into the AFP offices. Navy boy said that he was there and your boss agreed that you couldn’t go. Of course I don’t think he realized that Lee Lefebvre wasn’t a man, but whatever.”

Charlie turns to Lee and she’s still got her arms crossed, foot tapping on the ground. “Ah, geez.” 

“I’m going. There’s no way I’m not going.”

“I’ll try to keep my shock in check.” Charlie replies.

“Break it up you two. Seriously, Lee, get the hell outta here before Frank decides actually climb the stairs and come up here to look for you to keep you from going.”

Charlie can feel the heat radiating off of her but they both know that Ed is right. She storms past Charlie and flings the office door open wide as she huffs out of the office, stopping for her shoulder bag at the desk she was at before leaving the UPI office.

The men watch her as she departs and Ed is the first to break the silence. “Do you trust the guy?”

“I don’t even know the guy.” Charlie says. “How am I supposed to respond to that?”

“I know. I know.” Ed says, leaning back in his desk chair. “Maybe he’s trying to establish trust.”

“Well maybe he should have a name that isn’t a profession and give us something we can use instead of a veiled threat to stop doing our jobs.” Charlie’s voice was slowing becoming louder.

“Still a little hot he tried to hit on Lee?” Ed says smiling.

The remark catches Charlie off guard and the two men start to laugh.

“What do the papers say?” Ed asks after a few minutes of laughing with Charlie.

Charlie had almost forgotten about the papers she thrust into his chest. They were all filled with the same sentence repeated over and over again. “I’m a journalist and I can take care of myself.”

Ed snickers. “Kitten’s got claws.”

“If you were anyone else, I’d throw a punch for that remark.” Charlie says playfully.

“Yeah, I can tell. You’d end me. You better get after her before she ends you. I sense groveling in your near future.”

Charlie sighs and looks to the office door. “Yeah.”


End file.
